Hey all,
You will be taking the CodeSignal General Coding Assessment (GCA) at the end of this unit.
What is the GCA?
The GCA is a proctored assessment that provides a certified report you can use when applying for jobs. It is a standardized assessment that provides a high level score for a candidate's programming skill. It maps programming skills to a score from 300 to 850, combining information about problem solving and code-writing skills as well as speed and code quality. It is a measure meant to give recruiters, hiring managers and educators – as well as the test-takers themselves – a quick view of the test-taker’s skills.
GCA score overview
Taking the assessment will be a data point that informs how career ready you are and what you can continue to focus on improving during Labs and Job Search.
One key way that hiring managers are assessing new hires during remote work is with automated technical assessment testing, like GCA. This is why we will continue to evaluate how our students perform on these types of tests.
How do I take the test?
Be sure to take the test using the link provided in Canvas, and sign up with your lambda student e-mail. You must also select to share your results with Lambda so we can get your score back.
Again, you must take the test with your @lambdastudents.com email address! This may require you to sign out of codesignal if you previously created an account, and sign in with your @lambdastudents.com email
You will also need the following to take the test:
What is on the test?
Each test draws from a pool of question types. There are four tasks for you to solve. Each test contains a very basic task, a simple data manipulation task, an implementation task (requires writing at least 25-40 lines of code but the description clearly explains what needs to be done) and a problem solving task (where you need to come up with the approach yourself).
How long does it take?
The GCA test is limited to 1 hour and 10 minutes, starting from the time you begin the test.
Can I retake the GCA?
You can retake the GCA after a 2 week 'cool off' period.
Why is the test proctored?
The test is proctored to guarantee the integrity of the assessment. Since GCA assessments are certified and can be shared across multiple companies, automated proctoring is required for the GCA. Without automated proctoring, for example, someone else can take the test for the given candidate and provide inaccurate test results for the candidate. Note that Lambda School does not share your results with companies, but you may do so if you choose.
Virtual proctoring data is reviewed by CodeSignal only and is stored for no more than 15 days.
Share Your Results
After the test, you can share your certification directly with employers, or add it to your LinkedIn profile! Click here to learn how.